Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Pilot and Feasibility Program

The mission of the NIDDK-funded Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC) is to facilitate
and support the conduct of cutting edge basic and translational research in the fields of nutrition and
obesity science in the Boston area. BNORC’s Pilot and Feasibility Program provides funding on a
competitive basis for new investigators who are transitioning to an independent line of research or
established investigators with novel ideas in the area of nutrition and obesity research. Applications
that address the themes of the Center will be given higher priority. These themes are:

P&F awards are made with the expectation that the preliminary research supported by the pilot will
lead to successful applications for additional external funding.
P&F awards are made with the expectation that the preliminary research supported by the pilot will lead to applications for additional external funding. Applicants are encouraged to consult
and use the BNORC Cores:

Applicants should clearly identify which core(s) their project will utilize. Interaction with Core staff during the application phase is encouraged.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants fall into one of three categories, listed in order of priority for BNORC:

New investigators are eligible if they have never been PI or Co-PI on an independent NIH grant (RO1 or equivalent such as U01 or P01).
K awardees are eligible for P&F funding.
MD fellows and senior postdoctoral fellows are eligible in this category, but must provide evidence that they are taking off in an independent direction with a clear readiness and plan for acquiring independent RO1. Fellows and senior post doc should have a formal mentor or preferably mentoring committee, and a letter of support from their mentor(s). Although these trainees are eligible for P&F award, assuming the quality of science and plans are of similar quality, priority for funding is given to applicants with a faculty appointment or equivalent.

Established, funded investigators with no previous work in nutrition or obesity-related areas who
wish to apply their expertise to a nutrition or obesity-related problem.

Established investigators in nutrition- or obesity-related areas who wish to test the feasibility of a
new or innovative idea that represents a significant departure from their funded research and
which initiates a new collaboration with one or more other investigators active in nutrition or
obesity-related research.

*Note: MD Fellows and senior postdoctoral trainees are eligible for P&F awards if they are in their latter year(s) of training and have documented suitable expertise to design and carry out the proposed experiments as an independent, principal investigator. These applicants are required to have a formal mentor or mentoring committee, as well as a statement from their post-doctoral mentor that the research proposed represents an independent line of investigation that the mentee can build upon, and a defined mentoring plan, including plans for development of the career of the junior person and transition to independence. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents must have active visas permitting them to remain in the U.S. for the full period of the proposed research.

Budget

Applicants may request a maximum of $25,000 in direct costs per year for a total of two years ($50,000). Funding in Year 2 is contingent on progress made in Year 1 and will be evaluated by submission of an annual progress report. P&F awards do not include indirect costs and cannot be used to cover shortfalls in other NIH awards or to augment projects that have been previously funded.

Process

P&F awards are made based on scientific review of a Letter of Intent, and full applications are submitted by invitation only. Faculty rank is not required of P&F applicants. Each investigator may receive no more than one P&F award during a five-year cycle.

How to Apply

The first step in the application process is the submission of a Letter of Intent,
proposal summary, NIH biosketch and letter from mentor (required for MD Fellows and Senior
Postdoctoral Trainees only).

For further information, please check the BNORC P&F FAQ
or contact Dr. Andrew Greenberg, Associate Director and Chair of the Pilot and Feasibility Program Committee for scientific matters (andrew.greenberg@tufts.edu) or the BNORC Administrator Donna Gibson (dgibson@bu.edu) for administrative issues.